I have decided that I needed, yes needed, to join in the monthly goals. Even though it is June and summer is right around the corner, I figured that it’s now or never to start holding myself accountable for some things that I want to get done. As this is my first one, I have no recap for last month, so here we go.

Home Goals

Find some decorations/art for my walls. We are so bad about this because we rent. Something in me tells me that if I don’t put anything up that this is just temporary, but I need to do something about these bare walls.

Purge items that I have been hoarding through two moves. I just can’t seem to get rid of anything ever.

Try to make sure that I keep up with daily housework so that I can actually relax on the weekends when my hubs is off of work.

Personal Goals

Finish up Grey’s Anatomy and Season 6 of Pretty Little Liars on Netflix. Yes, this is my dirty indulgence for myself.

Read at least 10 books this month. This again is a way for me to unwind. Three kids can really take a toll on your mentality. This is my way to get away 😉

Make sure that I get my hub’s an amazing Father’s Day present. He deserves the world, but I will see what I can come up with!

Social Goals

Try to set up one day this month to do something fun with friends (Kings Dominion revisit is coming!). We went for the Spring Bloom Festival last month. Babysitters are expensive though!

Catch up with an old best friend that I haven’t spoken to in over a month. She’s been my rock since I was 14. I need to keep that relationship current.

Blog/Virtual Assistant Goals

Post on my blog 2-3 times a week and promote my content. Writing is easy but promotion is another thing entirely.

Make my Virtual Assistant business expand. I have taken on a few clients this week, but I need to get my name out there some more. Recently I became laid off from my other job with a company I was with for 3 years. It was a bummer, but I can now expand and open doors to new ventures with being a VA.

Try to keep my in box in check. I have let it go and now it’s getting out of control.

Apply to blogging campaigns even if I think that my stats are too small. You never know!

FINALLY get my own hosting to open up more doors for me financially.

Other Goals

Make sure that I am eating healthy. I am binging on junk way too much lately.

Look for more at home jobs such as data entry, administrative assistant, etc. I love working from home and don’t want to put my kids back with a sitter.

That’s June goals in a nutshell. We will see what all I can accomplish and what is going to end up rolling over into July (my birthday month!). That’s it for June so far. I think I can get the ball rolling on these things and I will check in with how it went next month.

P.S. If you’re looking for a VA you can always email me rwilson0720(at)yahoo(dot)com

Thanks to Angie & Karen for setting up the Monthly Goals Linky Party. Make your goals and link up by clicking the picture below.

I want to talk about something today that hits super close to home for me. Job loss or transition is something that can happen in a split second. You may seem so secure in what you have been doing for years and then you blink and it’s gone. This happened to me recently. My whole department got off-shored for cheaper labor. Yes, it sucks. But if this is also happening to you or someone you love, you are not alone.

It happens every day. Someone decides to change careers, unexpectedly loses a job, or lands a project in new area. During this transition, however, some strong feelings can arise. Feelings like fear, overwhelm, depression and even anger. While these feelings are natural, not having a plan to manage them can set you up for a meltdown.

Leaving a job or transitioning to a new one can easily become an emotional roller-coaster if you’re unprepared. If the transition came about as a result of a layoff or termination, it’s understandable why you might feel upset. But even if the choice is voluntarily, this can also be overwhelming.

Job transitions can be stressful no matter what the reason. If you’re facing one, consider these tips to help you manage it successfully.

Take an honest look at yourself. What are your strengths, weaknesses, skills? How did those influence—positively or negatively—your transition? It can be hard to think about your weaknesses, but the only way to improve with your next position is to be honest about what part you may have had in the transition.

Step up your self-care. Major changes are physically and emotionally taxing. You need self-care now more than ever. Go for a walk, take a mini vacation, spend some time journaling. Take some time to reflect on what you desire in your new position.

Engage your curiosity. What went wrong, or right? What could you have done better? What worked really well? Think outside the box and create new ideas for how to improve the next time around.

Focus on what you want, and less on what you don’t want. Keep your eye on the prize. The more you focus on what you truly want, the better chance you will have of attracting the perfect opportunity to your life.

Find support. Since your transition affects your family as well, it may be better to seek outside support from friends or professionals. Find a networking group or career seekers group to get the support and understanding you need.

Work on your thoughts. Calm your fears and reinforce your sense of hope and happiness. Maintaining negative thoughts will only block new opportunities from presenting themselves. Stay positive and motivated, opportunities will start appearing when and where you least expect them.

Reassure (or avoid) those who are threatened by, or jealous of, the change. Don’t allow someone else’s fears to control your thoughts and feelings. You will need to maintain your emotional strength during this time.

Create your own rite of passage. Ceremony and ritual help with all transitions. Find a way to celebrate and enjoy this change. Reward yourself when you take a step in the right direction. You deserve it!

Let go of how things were “supposed to be” and accept “how things are.” Find appreciation for what is happening in your life now.

Keep things in perspective. Or try on a new perspective. Don’t get stuck. Remember, the only constant is change. Don’t overthink yourself into a place of stress and overwhelm. Give yourself a reality check every once in a while.

Life is about change, nothing stays the same forever, and change can bring something better into your life that you never would have had if things stayed the same. Be open and welcoming to what’s happening in your life and the possibilities it brings with it.

With Mother’s Day coming up soon, I wanted to take the time and reflect on what does it mean to be Mom. Being a Mom means that you are the bearer of multiple job titles and wear many hats throughout the day, after all they say a Mom is the glue that holds the family together. Clearly the urban dictionary got it right when they defined Mom as:

The woman who loves you unconditionally from birth, the one who puts her kids before herself and the one who you can always count on above everyone else.

Being a Mom is a tough job; not only due to holding many job titles but also because of the emotional rollercoaster ride a Mom endures while raising her offspring. It seems we all knew our Mom to hold many job titles, but what are those titles exactly?

Food Tester – Mom will take the risk of food poisoning for you.

Hairstylist – Mom will deal with wiggly kids just to get the right look every time.

CEO of Household – need we say more?!

Taxi Driver – Mom holds the record for most taxi rides given with least amount of tips.

Potty Trainer – Mom is the master at getting kids to use that little toilet.

With all of these job titles, it’s no wonder a Mom is ready to kick back with a glass of wine and her favorite book after the end of it all. One thing is for sure, you won’t see a Mom who wishes she could take it all away, that’s the job of a Mom; they will keep chugging along to wake up each morning stronger than the day before, ready to love you unconditionally and help keep the family bonds strong.

Whether you are going back to college, working, or stay home taking care of the kids, avoiding procrastination is sometimes a job unto itself. It is easy to think you can put off starting on that paper that’s due next week, or start slacking on the housework because you’re overwhelmed with your job and your boss is breathing down your neck. Although, procrastinating can end up causing you more stress because you never know when something else might come up that needs your immediate attention. Here are 7 tips to avoid procrastination:

Keep a daily planner: A planner is only as good as the use you put into it. Keep a planner that is tailored to your needs, and use it consistently. For some people, it is hard to be organized and living by a planner may feel like you’re trapped by it. The reality is that a planner helps you accomplish what you need too, and gives you more free time, in the end.

Set goals for yourself every day: Setting goals for yourself doesn’t mean you work 23 hours and sleep if you have time. It’s ok to set more goals then you finish in your day, and you don’t have to beat yourself up if you don’t complete it. The fact is your working towards something, and you should be proud of yourself for that.

Do not put off for tomorrow what you can do today: You really don’t know what tomorrow will bring. It is better to be ahead and take a break at the end of the week, instead of scrambling at the end of the week to get everything done. That being said, you still need to find a balance.

Pace yourself: Rushing to get everything done in one day may not be the best use of your energy, and you can make mistakes when you try to do too much at one time. It is better to plan out for the week and get it done steadily.

Learn to prioritize: If you make a list of all the things you need to do for the week, go through it again and assign numbers from 1 to however many items are on your list. Put the items by order of importance and urgency. This will give you a better idea of what you should do first, and what really can wait.

Learn how to better manage your time: If you know you have to work on this paper for school, but when the kids get home you can’t concentrate, work on it early in the day after they leave for school. Don’t work with the television on if it only distracts you. Use your time efficiently.

Don’t forget to take care of yourself: If you are just running on empty, you are going to burn out. It is vital to get a good night’s sleep, eat healthy meals, exercise, and take time out for fun and relaxation. Too many times, doing too much and not taking care of yourself will cause you to get sick, and you’ll have to stop to take care of yourself then.

It is so much easier to be productive, happy, and healthy if you learn how to avoid procrastination. Stress takes its toll on your body, and it’s hard to get back to the point of doing things competently. Take the time to prioritize, manage your time, make a plan, pace yourself and set goals, you’ll feel so much better when you have things under control, and you finish what you need to today.

We have all been there. Something that needed to be done just wasn’t. I wrote a post earlier about the Confessions of an Overwhelmed Mama and this goes right along with that. There is tons that needs to be done around the house from laundry, to cleaning the floors and making meals.

This post came to me on a morning when my husband woke up and had no underwear dry. I had washed it, but I became busy with other things and simply just didn’t switch it over to dry. I had no idea that his underwear drawer was completely empty. He didn’t say anything, so how was I supposed to know.

Taking care of a household of five can be trying. It seems like there is a never ending pile of laundry and dishes. I have to do at least two loads of laundry a day to keep my laundry room from being overtaken. My dishes pile up so quickly that some nights I am so overwhelmed I don’t even want to think about doing them.

I swear my house can not be the only one that gets to this point. You feel like all you do is go and go and go all day long but nothing gets accomplished. I feel like an imperfect housewife most days. Underwear not dry. Meals not made from scratch. How do these other women do it? How do they keep their house sparkling and their meals made from scratch every day and not want to pull their hair out?

I hate living in clutter and mess, but it has become a reality that something is not going to get done that needs to most days. It all boils down to the saying that people only notice the housework that you DON’T do. I could scrub the floors, clean the whole bathroom, make a homemade meal and if that underwear isn’t dry everything else has been a bust.

So here’s to all those housewives that feel like I do. You are perfect in your own imperfect way. Take it from me! Maybe next time the underwear drawer is empty, he may just speak up.